


Moments in the Life of an Auror

by Karane



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Auror AU, Auror Harry Potter, Auror Tom Riddle, Auror in training Harry, M/M, Secret Santa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-27
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2019-02-22 13:51:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13168296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Karane/pseuds/Karane
Summary: A new series of crimes had been occurring through magical Britain. And they knew basically nothing except the obvious facts.As if this wasn't enough already Tom Riddle had been assigned a rookie Auror for the first time and while Harry Potter undoubtedly had the needed talent he was also an absolute brat.





	Moments in the Life of an Auror

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Amelinda](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amelinda/gifts).



> This is a Secret Santa Present for Amelinda!  
> My prompt was Tom Riddle trains rookie auror recruit, Harry Potter.
> 
> I tried my best writing this fanfcition.  
> English isn't my first language and this is my first english fanfiction so please forgive me if it isn't the best.  
> I hope you like it anyway.
> 
> A huge huge thank you to PhenixFleur for proofreading my fanfiction in the middle of the night!  
> What would I do without you. QxQ

There was nothing he hated more than annoying, unnecessary paperwork. There were people employed for the sole purpose of taking care of this. But instead of them doing their jobs he had to be bothered with it. Not that he wasn’t busy enough already.  
A new series of crimes had been occurring through magical Britain. And they knew basically nothing except the obvious facts. It was maddening. Every time they found a new crime scene the culprits were long gone. They were one step ahead of them every time, every turn. So far they were able to keep the information from the public, but it was only a matter of time until the news leaked out.  
Someone knocked at the door and Tom Riddle almost lost his temper. Almost. The last few days had been long and he’d barely slept at all. This case was too important, and his flawless career was at stake. Still, he hadn’t gotten this far without learning to keep his temper in check. He took a deep breath and ordered a few stray papers on his desk. “Come in.”  
A young woman in a formal, yet comfortable outfit came in. She greeted him with a polite smile. “Good morning. I hope everything is going well with the case?”  
He only offered a smile as an answer. “Good morning. How can I help you today?”  
“Always the gentleman, huh? I’m here to remind you of the ceremony today. The new recruits will be introduced and assigned a mentor.” She flicked through her folder. “This year we have a few more newbies than usual. So there will be a few people assigned that are not usually mentors.” She looked at him for confirmation.  
“I understand. Is there something else you need of me? I’m sorry, but I’m really busy at the moment.”  
“No, that’s it. Just remember that you have to attend, no excuses allowed.” He really didn’t have any time for that pointless ceremony, but he knew she wouldn’t stop bothering him until he agreed. Why couldn’t he get one minute of peace?  
“Alright, I’ll be there.” Satisfied, she smiled at him then left with a quick goodbye. When the door finally clicked shut he slumped slightly and sighed. He could only hope that at least some of the new recruits weren’t completely useless.  
*  
Harry James Potter had been many things in his young life. A student. A soldier. The Chosen One. A prat. The Boy Who Lived. A nuisance. And frankly he was sick of all of them. He just wanted to be Harry and live a relatively normal life.  
However, becoming an Auror seemed to not quite fit with that wish, although it was the only thing he could see himself doing. His Defense Against the Dark Arts classes were some of his favourite at Hogwarts and he couldn’t see himself doing something as peaceful as brewing potions everyday. Maybe he could have become a teacher at Hogwarts - he did like teaching his fellow students how to cast spells and deflect them. But in the end he had decided he wanted this and he would stick to it. No matter what Hermione or Ron thought of his decision.  
Right now they were waiting to meet the other Aurors. Everyone was whispering excitedly among themselves, save for Harry and the boy beside him. They were quietly talking with each other about what they knew of some of the Aurors and who they hoped would be their mentor. Luca hoped for a young Auror called Jessica Holmes. Apparently she was famous for her investigation and interrogation skills, as well as a master in offensive spells.  
“I don’t know, guess I haven’t given it that much thought yet,” Harry responded, hesitantly, upon the question falling to him. “It would be great to have someone who could teach me both offensive and defensive spells. Or maybe help me train occlumency and legilimency. They would be very useful in interrogation.” Luca nodded in silent agreement. However, before he could say anything else a young woman entered and came to a stop in front of their group. All conversation ceased immediately.  
“Hello everyone, it’s very nice to meet you. My name is Jessica Holmes, some of you might have already heard from me. Please follow me to our meeting room. There you will be introduced to the others and assigned your mentor. Should you have any problems or questions in the future, please don’t hesitate to go to them for help. That being said, are there any questions I can help you with now?” She waited for a moment before continuing, “Alright, then please follow me.”  
Harry was gradually starting to feel a bit nervous. Hopefully he would get along with the others, especially with his mentor. Three years could be a long time if you ended up working with someone you hated. He’d spent seven with Draco Malfoy, but at least he could leave then and go to the Gryffindor dorm. This time he would have to stick with the other person for better or worse.  
The room was quiet when they entered. A few whispered words could be heard but nothing more. He looked around, wondering if he would recognize someone. Most of the faces in front of him were unfamiliar though. The only person he did recognize was Tom Riddle. He was not only  one of the youngest Aurors in history to be chosen for a leading position, he also had one of the highest crime solving quota. Even when he was still in school he was at the top of every one of his classes. So it was no wonder everyone had at least heard about him once.  
*  
Of course he had done his research regarding the new recruits. While he didn’t deny that the exams for new Aurors were thorough he still preferred coming to his own conclusion. Some were definitely better than others, but overall they all seemed to know one thing or another. But he was especially interested in Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived. Everyone knew his story but Tom was sure there were many parts that had been glossed over or completely left out altogether. After all war was never pretty and rarely had a happy ending, even if you won.  
Each Auror greeted the new recruits, followed by a short introduction about themselves. And then the rookies were introduced, after which Jessica gave a short speech. Same as every year.  
Next, she called the name of a rookie and then assigned them their mentor. He mostly didn’t care about this part, but he was kind of curious who would be Harry Potter’s teacher. Even for the Ministry of Magic it must be something special to have The Boy Who Lived working for them. Such titles were useless at best if you asked him, and often went to people's heads.  
“Mr. Potter, your assigned mentor will be Mr. Riddle. And with that...we’re done. If there are any questions you have please ask your mentor now. Good luck everyone.” Tom looked stunned, not sure if he had heard her right. The fact that Harry came a bit closer and stood beside him suggested he did.  
“Harry, bring me some coffee.”  
“Go get it yourself,” came the annoyed reply.  
Tom looked up angrily from his paperwork. “I’m busy. You go get it. Now.”  
“I don’t see why I should. I’m here to learn how to be an Auror, not how to make coffee.” To say they didn’t get along was an understatement. It had been only a few weeks and they were getting on each other’s nerves with every interaction, however small. Harry James Potter was an utter prat, and if he could Tom would have strangled him by now. Sighing through his nose, he looked up and straight at the little pest.  
“Could you get me a coffee...please,” he hissed through gritted teeth. The younger boy seemed to think about it. He shrugged and got up. Only when he finally left did Tom relax somewhat. He couldn’t say that the rookie wasn’t capable, because he was talented and willing to learn. However, Harry was also incredibly headstrong and stubborn. At least he understood the importance on following orders when they went on fieldwork. Something that couldn’t be said about everyone.  
He went on to read through the contents of the next folder, scribbling down some notes on a separate sheet of paper. The number of people found dead in relation to this case was steadily rising. What was even more worrying, the culprit seemed to be using human sacrifices for some sort of ritual. From the data he was given Tom could conclude it was some sort of old magic, but he didn’t know much more. If only he could figure out the purpose of said ritual it might help them figure out who might be behind this.  
The best course of action seemed to be rather simple. He needed to work out some indicator regarding what specific ritual they’d used. Special runes, some unusual herbs, maybe the places they had found the crime scenes at could help. Either way he had to go and see it for himself. Maybe Harry could help him search for some indicators to assist with identifying whatever ritual this was.  
A moment later Harry returned and handed him his coffee. 

“Here you go.” Without another word he sat back down and went back to whatever he was doing before. Tom took a moment to massage his temples. This case was going to be a tricky one, even without this pest of a rookie at his side.  
*  
Harry had mixed feelings when it came to his mentor. On one hand the guy was definitely very capable as an Auror and knew a lot about all fields of magic. On the other hand he was a complete ass most of the time. He obviously wasn’t happy to be a mentor. If it was the concept itself or Harry specifically that bothered him he didn’t know.  
However, when they were on the field the tone between them changed. Instead of the quiet hostility that reigned when they were alone they remained professional. Maybe they both understood the importance of their work there, and thus had sort of a truce.  
Right know they were looking at a pentagram that covered almost all of the room. It was drawn with some sort of red paint that had an earthy smell. The pentagram itself was very complex and delicately drawn. “What do you think about this?” came the quiet question from Tom.  
“I’m not sure. I haven’t seen anything like this yet.” Harry answered truthfully.  
His mentor nodded and looked around the room. “But what do you think is worth noticing, even if you haven’t seen anything like this before?”  
Harry halted for a moment. This had always been Hermione’s specialty, knowing and noticing things. He hummed in thought. “The paint. It smells kind of earthy?” He glanced at his mentor, who nodded in encouragement. “And it looks like there was something placed around the pentagram on four sides. Maybe it could be in position with the cardinal points.”  
“That’s a good start. I think it’s also worth noticing that the runes don’t match any you would usually use in a ritual. So either this is some dark magic or something very old. In both cases you should be cautious.” Ah, that made sense. He probably should remember that. “I suggest that after we are finished here we go to the ministry library. They have a collection of books about forbidden rituals and runes that you can’t find anywhere else. Maybe we can find a hint there. But before we go let’s look for any other clues we might have missed.”  
“Roger.” Harry answered without thinking. He could have sworn he saw Tom smile at the Muggle answer.  
Tired did not even begin to describe how he was feeling. Every muscle in his body hurt and was begging for sleep. The only thing keeping him alive were ungodly amounts of energy drinks mixed with a few pepper up potions. The case had been a daily struggle for months now. While they had gotten much further with the evidence they could never quite catch the culprits. Somehow they were always one step ahead of them. Of course that made it even more important for them to continue working.  
Harry took another sip from his cup and stared at the file in front of him. They finally knew what those witches or wizards were trying to summon. In an old book, written hundreds of years ago, they had found the clue. It was an old god, one of three siblings, that had been worshiped within a few tribes.  
The ritual was most likely intended to give the witch or wizard much more magical power than they could obtain through natural means, though only temporary - unless they kept making sacrifices, which couldn’t be ruled out. Neither could either of them say for what the culprit intended to use that power, since that could have been a hint as well. Their only hope was to catch them before another victim had to die.  
He went back to his mentor’s office where Tom was still busy poring over papers and writing down notes. “Have you found out anything new?”  
The older sighed loudly and leaned back for a moment. “Nothing much. I have some new speculations about the culprits but nothing concrete. How did your research go?”  
He shrugged his shoulders. “We haven’t found any new clues, if that’s what you’re asking.” He took another sip of his drink. “But we found proof that all sacrifices specifically had to be witches or wizards. It wouldn’t work with Muggles or fantastic beasts.”  
“That doesn’t make it any easier. We have to find them and soon.” His mentor grabbed a folder from a pile on his table. “Could you please get this to Mrs. Jones? And ask her if she has some new information for me.”  
“And what about the training? You wanted to show me some spells that are important for field work.” He saw his mentor bend over and massage his temples in thought.  
“I’ll keep my schedule free for tomorrow afternoon. We should be able to use one of the training fields for that. Until then, can you please deliver the folder?”  
“Sure.”  
*  
“Try again, but this time make your stance wider. Always be ready to either dodge or cast the next spell.” They’d been training for a few hours now, during which he taught Harry a few spells, and now they were practicing actually using them. Tom had also used this opportunity to see how much Harry was already capable of. He would never outright admit it but he was a bit impressed. The other knew how to be on his toes all the time and was quick to dodge and cast a spell. He could improve his form with some additional spells but that was a problem for a later date.  
“That looks much better already. Let’s take a short break and then onto the next spell.” Harry nodded and went to grab his water bottle. If it were up to Tom they would call it quits for today and go back to the case. They could train some more later. However he had been persuaded to take the rest of the day off from the investigation. “Training your student is just as important as a case”, or something like that.  
“Would you be up for something to eat? There is a small bakery nearby that serves pastries, coffee and hot chocolate. I heard their food tastes great.” Harry smiled at him at the mention of cake and Tom had to suppress a chuckle. It didn’t take long to find out Harry had a weakness for anything sweet. While Tom wasn’t that much a fan of cake it was worth it for some reason. He didn’t feel like digging deeper for what that reason was.  
A few minutes later they found themselves seated in a quiet corner, each with a steaming mug in front of them. Harry had ordered some hot chocolate with extra cream while Tom chose a cup of espresso. Harry looked up at him. “What do you want to order? They have a dark chocolate cake that shouldn’t be too sweet.”  
He thought a moment about it and then gave a small shrug. “Sounds good to me. What do you want?” Harry dove back into the menu and began telling him about the different cakes he was interested in. Clearly he couldn’t make up his mind which made Tom smile a bit. “Just remember not to eat too much, we’re not done with our training.”  
*  
Before they could make it back to the training fields they ran into another Auror. They stopped them in their tracks, taking a moment to catch their breath before forcing out: “Mr. Riddle, you’re requested in the meeting room. There has been another crime scene and this time they found an eyewitness.”  
“Thank you for the info.” Hurriedly he changed directions, signaling Harry to follow him. This were equally good and bad news. Good given that maybe now they had a new clue as to who was behind this mess; bad because, obviously, another victim had died.  
A few minutes later they stormed into the room, which was already filled with the other Aurors from their department. “Can you fill us in?” Tom asked, in a rush.  
Mrs. Holmes looked at her notes. “The ritual took place near the inner city in an old church that has been empty for years. However, an eyewitness was taking a walk in that area last night when they heard strange chanting. They say they investigated the noise to find the source inside the church. They didn’t go inside but they did see strange lights.”  
Tom took a moment to progress the information. It was weird that up until now there had never been someone who had heard or seen anything, even if it happened mainly in abandoned places. This might be the first clear hint in a while. “Where is the witness now?”  
“They are currently being questioned for more details. They are to report back as soon as they find out something new. Until then, I want to form 3 teams. In case that we do discover their location those teams are to get close and surround the target without them noticing. We have to be ready at any given moment.” The Aurors all nodded in agreement.  
After a few more months and many sleepless nights they had finally found the missing puzzle piece to all of this. It had been far from easy and Harry wished they could have saved the victims that died up until now, but all they could do was prevent the culprit from taking any more lives. They had figured it out just in time as well. Today was the night of the next and final sacrifice to seal the contract. They would stop them today and capture them before they succeeded in killing the victim.  
He had being going over the plans with Tom for the past few hours, but even on their way to the old, crumbing building his mentor didn’t stop going over them. “We will surround them from all sites, unnoticed. That means charms to prevent you from making a sound, being seen, leaving tracks and being detectable. You will wait for my signal and then, and only then, will we go inside. Stay close to me and don’t do anything unless I tell you to. Understood?”  
If he didn’t know him as well as he did by now he would have thought of Tom as annoying, but Harry knew that the other was just worried for him. “Understood,” he replied, quietly.  
When they finally reached their goal Tom placed the charms over himself and instructed Harry to do the same. They didn’t apparate as there might have been detection charms, and they’d come too far to mess it up now. A few last words were exchanged between the team leaders, then he followed Tom to the back of the building. So close he could feel his heart rate speed up. He knew what to do and he trusted Tom to make the right decisions, but he still couldn’t help the shaking of his hands. He gripped his wand tighter. This was almost like standing in front of Lord Voldemort for the first time. But Harry had grown since then. He was stronger, more skilled in magic, and this time he knew exactly what to do.  
Tom gave the signal and silently they crept closer. The other opened the door with a quick spell, which was followed by a few more to detect any possible traps. When there were none they moved on. Inside they could hear the chanting coming from deeper within, most likely the cellar. Tom looked first at him, then the rest of team and nodded. Harry moved his wand in front of him, ready to strike if necessary.  
A deep rumble echoed around the halls and made the whole building shake. Some bits of rubble broke free and fell to the ground. He halted and glanced around warily. Something felt off. He tried to alert Tom but he waved him off and kept going, so Harry followed. That didn’t stop him from continuing to survey the area, worried.  
They reached the cellar door moments later, as another rumble shook the building; this time they ignored it. Two specialists stepped to the front and started working on the door. They checked for spells and traps, and when they found none Tom gave them the signal to open it. In that moment Harry felt like there was something terribly wrong. Before he could voice his worries the building started to shake again, this time much more violently than before. The rest happened in a blur.  
The door opened with a loud bang, cracking the wall in the progress. The rumbling and chanting got so loud Harry wanted to cover his ears. The area was flooded in a strange light and suddenly the building started collapsing, not piece by piece but almost at once. He could barely hear his own thoughts as he quickly cast a few spells to try and stop the falling rubble from crushing him. The others weren’t much better off. He couldn’t hear them but he tried looking around as much as he dared. Then the ceiling fell in on itself completely, disregarding any attempts to stop it. In his last few moments of consciousness Harry felt himself trying to help another Auror who had been injured somehow. 

Then nothing.  
*  
He woke up to a terrible headache. 

His head throbbed with pain, and moving made it that much worse. He let out a groan, but tried to sit up anyway. A gentle hand pushed him back down. Slowly Harry opened his eyes, trying to adjust to the bright light. It hurt, and he fought for some time with himself before he could look at his guest.  
“Good morning,” came the quiet greeting. He looked around as best as he could, a bit confused and disoriented.  
“Where-...what-...who?”  
The other person laughed quietly, stopping him once again from sitting up. “You’re at the hospital wing. You pulled quite the stunt yesterday, trying to play the hero,” they scolded without any anger behind it. “You’re lucky you weren’t crushed when you tried to help the others. But I guess it’s a good thing you did.”  
Ah, it was Tom. Harry reached blindly for his glasses before they were shoved into his hand. Putting them on, he waited a moment for the world to stop spinning. “Is everyone okay?” he croaked out.  
“Depends how you define okay. They’re all alive and not in danger.” Tom brushed some strands from his forehead and looked to be deep in thought.  
He coughed a bit and the older man reached behind himself to grab a glass of water. He helped Harry sit up and carefully handed it to him. “How long do I have to stay here?”  
His mentor huffed at that question, but a slight smile tugged at his lips. “Until you are better. And don’t try and say you are when you’re not. I have no need for a sick Auror that can’t even go get coffee.”  
Harry had to laugh at that. It was just something Tom would say. But then it got quiet for a moment as his mentor stared at him in contemplation. “You had me worried, you know.”  
“But I’m fine now,” came his quick answer. He had said it so often to his friends that it was an automatic response. He couldn’t place the smile he saw on Tom’s face at this words. Though, when the other slowly moved closer Harry thought he understood what he planned. Moving towards his mentor in kind he closed his eyes and was not disappointed when their lips met. The kiss was slow and tentative. Maybe a bit uncertain.  
When they separated Harry grinned at him. “Maybe I should get hurt more often.” Tom’s reaction made him laugh, even if his sides hurt in protest.


End file.
